The woman was standing in front of me. One minute she was screaming into her telephone, and the next she was waving a knife.
I tried to calm her down, but the next 10 seconds moved too quickly. She crossed her kitchen and stabbed me in the chest. It happened so fast, I didn’t have time to reach for my gun.
I looked down for the knife, forgetting it was all simulated. I looked up and the screen was already black. My classmates clapped, and a Chapel Hill Police Officer helped me out of the simulation gear as he explained how he would have diffused the situation faster.
Superior training and preparation were themes at this weekend’s Citizens Police Academy, where the Chapel Hill Police Department showcased its different units. The simulator exercise was meant to show how police are trained to use force when necessary.
After I stumbled my way through the exercise, a Chapel Hill police officer went through the exercise. He talked the woman down and when she pulled the knife he commanded her to drop it and pulled his gun. The woman dropped the knife and put her hands behind her head.
These officers train on high-tech systems that can respond to voice commands and the simulator weapon so when they go out to the streets of Chapel Hill, they’re prepared.
My classmates and I were also introduced to the department’s K-9 unit. An expensive endeavor, but one that Police Chief Chris Blue says is well worth the costs because when a suspect runs from a crime scene, these dogs are prepared.
We also met the department’s crisis unit, which follows up with victims to offer additional services and works to reduce crime among the homeless. The unit started as a partnership between the police and UNC’s School of Social Work. Now that model is employed in police department’s across the country.
And when a victim of domestic violence calls the department for help, the crisis unit is prepared to help.
